Gov.'s administration tabs veteran health care official to lead implementation of new law

SANTA FE — With New Mexico set to launch a new regionalized approach to providing mental health and substance abuse services in June, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration is taking steps to prepare.

The state Health Care Authority on Tuesday announced the hiring of Kristie Brooks to guide the implementation of the new law, which was passed by lawmakers during this year’s 60-day legislative session and signed by Lujan Grisham.

Brooks, a former regional director of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will fill a new job post created to oversee implementation efforts, an HCA spokeswoman said.

As the agency’s director of behavioral health transformation and innovation, Brooks, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, will receive a $150,000 annual salary.

She said Tuesday she was looking forward to starting the new job at a pivotal time.

“New Mexico is leading the way in rebuilding behavioral health services, and I’m excited to partner with communities across the state to strengthen systems of care, elevate culturally responsive treatment models, and improve health outcomes,” Brooks said in a statement.

Under the legislative plan, Senate Bill 3, the state judiciary will take on a larger role in approving regional behavioral health plans, while the Health Care Authority will remain in charge of overseeing funding.

Health Care Authority officials have been in contact with top executives at the Administrative Office of the Courts to ensure the new law’s requirements are met, HCA spokeswoman Marina Piña said Tuesday.

Overhauling New Mexico’s system for providing mental health and substance abuse treatment was a major focus during this year’s session, amid concerns about the difficulty in finding providers and the current system’s ineffectiveness.

In addition to the new regional approach that allows local officials to craft plans identifying funding priorities, lawmakers also approved the creation of a new behavioral health trust fund. A $100 million start-up appropriation for the new fund was included in a separate budget bill.

The changes come more than a decade after former Gov. Susana Martinez upended New Mexico’s behavioral system in 2013, freezing Medicaid funding to 15 providers over fraud and overbilling. All the accused providers were later cleared of wrongdoing.

Under the new law, initial standards and evaluation guidelines for behavioral health services must be established by June 1. Monthly updates on the status of the regional behavioral health plans must also be provided, starting next month.